What is ASHRAE Guideline 14?
ASHRAE Guideline 14 is the ASHRAE guideline for measuring energy, demand and water savings. It describes how to build a baseline model, adjust it for conditions such as weather, compare it with measured use after a change, and state the uncertainty of the resulting savings figure.
What it is
ASHRAE Guideline 14, Measurement of Energy, Demand, and Water Savings, gives technical methods for quantifying savings from efficiency projects. A saving cannot be metered directly. It is the difference between what a facility would have used without the change and what it actually used.
The guideline covers whole-building, retrofit isolation and calibrated simulation approaches. It sets statistical criteria, such as the coefficient of variation of the root mean square error and the normalized mean bias error, that a baseline model should meet before its savings figures are trusted. Check the current edition for the specific thresholds.
Who it applies to / where it is used
Guideline 14 is used by energy service companies, utilities running efficiency programs, performance contract parties, consultants and owners who need savings to stand up to review. It is often referenced alongside IPMVP in contracts and program rules.
How it is measured / what evidence it needs
The guideline asks for a defensible model and clear documentation of how savings were calculated.
- A baseline period with measured consumption at a suitable interval
- Independent variables such as degree days, occupancy or production
- Model fit statistics that meet the stated criteria
- Routine and non-routine adjustments, documented
- A savings figure with its stated uncertainty
How Aqueduct helps
Aqueduct's Verify step follows Guideline 14 logic: a modeled expectation, a measured actual and a stated uncertainty.
- Regression baselines on usage plus cooling and heating degree days through aQ EnergySmart
- Interval data from meters and sub-meters at 60-second refresh for whole-building or isolated systems
- Model fit statistics and adjustments recorded with each savings result
- Reports exported through aQ Assurance for the reviewer or program administrator